Super PAC Guide: Affordable Maryland PAC in MoCo

This is Part 3 of a series on Super PACs in Montgomery County. Part 1 looked at CASA in Action PAC, and Part 2 looked at County Place PAC.

Affordable Maryland PAC: Maryland Committee No. 13014854

In Montgomery County’s 2026 Democratic primary, Affordable Maryland PAC reported nearly $1.9 million in independent expenditures supporting and opposing candidates. Almost three-quarters of that spending was directed against one candidate: Will Jawando, who was running for county executive.

Jawando won the nomination anyway.

The Super PAC’s financial disclosures reveal substantial support from the real estate and construction industries, including apartment owners, developers, property management firms, and construction-related businesses. The organization began in 2022 with a national Democratic political strategist and a Takoma Park architect who had publicly criticized then-County Executive Marc Elrich’s housing and development policies.

This installment of A Voter’s Guide to Super PACs in Montgomery County takes a closer look at where the money went, the industries financing the PAC, and the people running it.

The PAC’s activities were previously covered extensively by Adam Pagnucco at Montgomery Perspective and by Bethesda Magazine. This article takes a deeper dive into the PAC’s financial disclosures and looks back at its origins, leadership, and political activities, using publicly available records and previously published reporting.

The PAC’s Spending and the Primary Results

Affordable Maryland PAC opposed Marc Elrich in the 2022 Democratic primary for county executive. Elrich won the nomination and was reelected. Four years later, the PAC again devoted substantial resources to the county executive contest, this time opposing Will Jawando and Evan Glass.

Its largest expenditure was directed against Jawando, who won the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary with 52,744 votes. Andrew Friedson finished second with 44,520 votes, followed by Glass with 29,006. Maryland State Archives

The PAC also opposed Elrich, who was seeking one of four at-large County Council nominations, although its expenditure against him was substantially smaller than its spending against Jawando.

In the at-large Council primary, Elrich received the most votes of any candidate, with 66,706. Laurie-Anne Sayles finished second, followed by Scott Goldberg and Karla Silvestre. All four secured Democratic nominations for the November 3 general election. Maryland State Archives

The PAC supported Goldberg, Silvestre, and Jim McNulty in that contest. Goldberg and Silvestre won their nominations, while McNulty did not.

The following table presents the candidate allocations from the PAC’s 2026 independent expenditure records alongside the Democratic primary outcomes.

Candidate	Race	PAC Position	Spending	Primary Result
Will Jawando	County Executive	Oppose	$1,396,189.73	Won nomination
Evan Glass	County Executive	Oppose	$269,587.54	Lost primary
Marc Elrich	Council At-Large	Oppose	$34,688.70	Won nomination
Laurie-Anne Sayles	Council At-Large	Oppose	$34,688.70	Won nomination
Scott Goldberg	Council At-Large	Support	$45,192.84	Won nomination
Karla Silvestre	Council At-Large	Support	$45,192.84	Won nomination
Jim McNulty	Council At-Large	Support	$45,192.84	Lost primary
Jud Ashman	Council District 3	Support	$5,293.57	Won nomination
Andrew Friedson	County Executive	Support	$656.25	Lost primary
Total Reported Spending			$1,876,683.01

Note: Some direct-mail expenditures were allocated among multiple candidates. The identical $34,688.70 amounts reported for Marc Elrich and Laurie-Anne Sayles represent separate candidate allocations, not duplicate expenditures. The $656.25 supporting Andrew Friedson is also reported in the filing.

Results refer to the 2026 Democratic primary, not the November general election.

Sources: Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System , Affordable Maryland PAC, Committee 13014854, August 25, 2026 Pre-General 1 filing, pages 12–14. Maryland State Archives, 2026 primary results .

Source: Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System, Affordable Maryland PAC, Committee 13014854.

Who Financed Affordable Maryland PAC?

Affordable Maryland PAC reported $1,445,500 in new monetary contributions during the two 2026 pre-primary reporting periods, covering January 15 through June 7.

The filings document substantial financial support from the real estate and construction industries. Contributors included residential and commercial developers, apartment owners, property management companies, real estate investment firms, construction businesses, and industry-affiliated political committees. Contributions also came from individuals, trusts, investment partnerships, and businesses outside those industries.

The complete disclosures are available through the Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System, under committee number 13014854. In an affidavit filed Oct. 20, 2026, for the Pre-General 2 reporting period (Aug. 19 to Oct. 18), the PAC’s chairman and treasurer declared that it had not received contributions or made expenditures totaling $1,000 or more since its Aug. 25 report, and that the PAC’s ending balance on that report was $10,911.22.

The Advertising Campaign Against Jawando

Affordable Maryland PAC began its public advertising campaign against Jawando in May 2026, launching television advertisements, commissioning polling, and developing a dedicated opposition website.

On May 15, Montgomery Perspective reported that the PAC had launched its first television advertisement, titled “One Job,” backed by a $231,950 television expenditure.

The advertisement criticized Jawando’s record on public education, taxes, and affordability. Its message included the statement: “It’s okay to vote no on Jawando.”

Additional advertising followed. On June 12, Montgomery Perspective documented another advertisement (below) targeting both Jawando and Evan Glass. That advertisement criticized their positions and votes on taxation, housing development, and rent stabilization.

Responses to the PAC’s Advertising

The PAC’s education advertisement drew public criticism from elected officials and Montgomery County public school employee unions. On May 18, 2026, Adam Pagnucco reported in Montgomery Perspective that the presidents of three school employee unions had issued statements disputing the advertisement’s portrayal of Jawando’s education record. Their statements appeared in a press release distributed by Jawando’s campaign and reproduced by Montgomery Perspective.

David Stein, president of the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), accused the PAC of spending money on “ads that lie about our schools.” Christine Handy, president of the Montgomery County Association of Administrators and Principals (MCAAP), characterized the attacks as outrageous and inconsistent with Jawando’s record. Pia Morrison, president of SEIU Local 500, described the advertising as an effort by wealthy developers to influence the election.

Nine days later, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen publicly criticized the advertisement. As reported by Pagnucco in Montgomery Perspective on May 27, Van Hollen recorded a video statement in which he said he was “frankly sickened” by what he described as false claims about Jawando’s education record. He urged candidates in the county executive race to denounce the advertisement and demand its withdrawal. Van Hollen emphasized that he was not endorsing a candidate in the primary.

A Purpose-Built Opposition Research Website

On May 27, 2026, Affordable Maryland PAC launched VoteNoOnJawando.com, a website laying out its case against Jawando.

Unlike a conventional campaign advertisement limited to a brief message, the website presented an extensive, issue-by-issue critique of Jawando’s eight years on the Montgomery County Council. Its subjects included housing affordability, rent stabilization, taxation, economic development, and public education.

“The Jawando Record: The Truth Hurts”

Among the material published on the website was a May 2026 statement titled “The Jawando Record: The Truth Hurts,” jointly authored by Jonathan Robinson and Eric Saul. Their statement offered a detailed critique of Jawando’s record, arguing that his actions on the County Council had failed to deliver on earlier promises concerning housing, affordability, and public services.

The authors stated that they had initially been optimistic about Jawando’s political career but had become disappointed with his performance. Their criticism extended beyond individual policy disagreements to his candidacy for county executive.

One of the statement’s central arguments concerned Montgomery County’s 2023 rent stabilization law, which Jawando co-sponsored with Councilmember Kristin Mink. Robinson and Saul argued that the consequences of the legislation could now be measured through changes in the county’s housing development activity. They pointed to a substantial decline in multifamily housing permits and linked that decline to rent stabilization and other county housing policies.

The website asserted that multifamily housing permitting had declined by approximately 97%. Although the PAC cited county planning data, the decline alone does not establish how much of it resulted from rent stabilization rather than interest rates, financing conditions, construction costs, or other economic factors.

The PAC’s website provided documentation supporting many of its underlying statistics and references, but its conclusions concerning responsibility and causation were political interpretations of those records. The website also challenged Jawando’s record concerning Montgomery County Public Schools, economic development, and taxation. Its publication documented the direct involvement of Robinson and Saul in the PAC’s public messaging.

The PAC’s website and statements

In its October 2025 Residential Development Pipeline Analysis, Montgomery Planning interviewed developers about projects that had stalled.

Reported obstacle	Interviews citing it
Rent stabilization	11
High interest rates	11
Construction costs	10
Weak demand and job growth	5

Developers raised three particular concerns about rent stabilization: limits on raising rents when tenants turn over, the law’s future applicability to newly constructed buildings after their exemption period, and investors’ perceptions of Montgomery County as a less favorable place to invest. Developers cited rent stabilization as often as high interest rates (11 interviews each), and nearly as often as construction costs (10).

Who Founded Affordable Maryland PAC?

Affordable Maryland PAC was established in June 2022, four years before the 2026 primary. Its founding chairman was Adam Jentleson, a Democratic political strategist and former senior aide to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Its founding treasurer was Eric Saul, a Takoma Park architect and creator of the local satirical publication The Takoma Torch.

The PAC initially opposed Marc Elrich in the 2022 Democratic primary for county executive, emphasizing housing affordability and development policy. Maryland Matters on June 30, 2022 documented its establishment and early financing.

Adam Jentleson: Founding Chairman

Jentleson built his career in national Democratic politics, including serving as a senior aide to Harry Reid. He subsequently co-founded Battle Born Collective, a political consulting firm, and wrote extensively about congressional politics and Democratic electoral strategy. He is the author of Kill Switch, examining the history and political consequences of the Senate filibuster, and Supermajority: How Democrats Can Build Lasting Power.

In 2025, Jentleson established the Searchlight Institute, a policy and research organization. His political views and work were discussed in a September 2026 Washingtonian interview.

Jentleson’s founding role is documented in the PAC’s June 2022 IRS registration. The committee also reported $15,000 in consulting payments to Jentleson during its 2022 campaign opposing Elrich.

Eric Saul: Architect, Satirist, and former Treasurer

Saul founded The Takoma Torch in 2019, initially using political satire to comment on Takoma Park’s contentious redevelopment debates. In a 2022 interview with Adam Pagnucco at Montgomery Perspective, Saul traced the publication’s origins to the Takoma Junction controversy. He subsequently used the Torch’s satire to criticize opposition to housing development, including Marc Elrich’s policies, which he also challenged in a March 2022 Washington Post opinion article co-authored with five housing advocates.

Jonathan Robinson: Chairman During the 2026 Primary

Jonathan Robinson, a founder of the PAC, succeeded Jentleson as chairman and held that position during the 2026 Democratic primary. Robinson has a professional background in political data, electoral research, and political philanthropy, including work with Catalist, a Democratic voter-data firm. He also serves on the board of Greater Greater Washington, a regional nonprofit organization focused on housing, transportation, and land use.

Elizabeth Brent: Treasurer

Elizabeth Brent (“Liz”) is a Montgomery County real estate professional associated with Go Brent Realty. Before becoming the PAC’s treasurer, Brent participated in local housing advocacy, including the 2022 NotMarcElrich.org project criticizing Marc Elrich’s record. She subsequently became treasurer of Affordable Maryland PAC and appeared in that position on the June 12, 2026 pre-primary report. Her name also appeared in the sponsorship disclosure on VoteNoOnJawando.com, identifying Affordable Maryland PAC as the organization responsible for the website.

Carter Dougherty: Earlier Advocacy and Paid Research

Carter Dougherty is a writer and housing advocate who participated in the NotMarcElrich.org project. In 2022, he joined Eric Saul, Elizabeth Brent, Dan Reed, Gray Kimbrough, and Abe Saffer in publicly criticizing Marc Elrich’s housing and development policies. The six were associated with a February 2022 opinion piece in Bethesda Magazine and signed a March 2022 opinion piece in The Washington Post.

Four years later, Affordable Maryland PAC’s May 13, 2026 pre-primary filing reported a $6,000 payment to Dougherty on March 2, categorized as “Other Expenses – Research – Survey.”

Before the PAC: NotMarcElrich.org

Several months before Affordable Maryland PAC was established, a website called NotMarcElrich.org was created. The website criticized Elrich’s policies and record, particularly concerning housing and development. An early version of the website remains accessible through the Internet Archive.

In a February 12, 2022 Bethesda Magazine opinion article, Dan Reed and Carter Dougherty identified six participants in the earlier project: Reed, Dougherty, Elizabeth Brent, Gray Kimbrough, Abe Saffer, and Eric Saul.

Summary

Affordable Maryland PAC was established in 2022 and participated in two consecutive Montgomery County Democratic primaries, initially opposing Marc Elrich and later directing substantial spending against Will Jawando.

Its financial disclosures show considerable support from individuals and businesses associated with real estate development, apartment ownership, construction, and related industries. Its activities included political advertising, polling, independent research, and websites devoted to criticizing candidates’ records.

Across the 2026 reporting periods examined here, the PAC reported approximately $1.88 million in independent expenditures, with nearly three-quarters directed against Jawando. The organization also supported and opposed several County Council candidates.

The PAC’s principal targets in the 2022 and 2026 county executive primaries both won their Democratic nominations. Several Council candidates supported by the PAC also won their nominations, while others did not.

The filings establish the sources of reported funding, the candidates targeted, and the amounts spent. The primary results establish which candidates advanced to the general election. Neither set of records independently establishes how much the PAC’s activities influenced voters.

Sources and Original Records

Maryland State Board of Elections

Campaign Reporting Information System

Affordable Maryland PAC, Committee 13014854.

Relevant filings include the May 13 and June 12, 2026 pre-primary reports, the August 25 pre-general report, the October 20 report, and associated independent expenditure disclosures.

Internal Revenue Service

Political Organization Filing Search

Affordable Maryland PAC, EIN 88-2934984, original Form 8871.

Maryland State Archives

Montgomery County 2026 Primary Election Results

Affordable Maryland PAC Campaign Materials

VoteNoOnJawando.com

“One Job” Television Advertisement, May 2026

Television Advertisement Targeting Jawando and Glass, June 2026

Montgomery Perspective

Affordable Maryland PAC Archive

Independent Expenditures in the 2026 Primary, July 3, 2026

MCPS Union Leaders Condemn Anti-Jawando Super PAC, May 18, 2026

Van Hollen Condemns “Lies” About Jawando, May 27, 2026

Interview with Eric Saul, November 2, 2022

Additional Reporting and Research

Bethesda Magazine, May 15, 2026

Maryland Matters, June 30, 2022

Montgomery Planning, Development Pipeline Analysis, September 2025

W. W. Norton, Supermajority: How Democrats Can Build Lasting Power

Sources and Original Records

Montgomery County Economic Indicators – Second and Third Quarters 2025

Maryland State Board of Elections Campaign Reporting Information System Affordable Maryland PAC, Committee 13014854. Relevant filings include the May 13 and June 12, 2026 pre-primary reports, the August 25 pre-general report, the October 20 report, and associated independent expenditure disclosures.

Internal Revenue Service Political Organization Filing Search Affordable Maryland PAC, EIN 88-2934984, original Form 8871.

Maryland State Archives Montgomery County 2026 Primary Election Results Affordable Maryland PAC Campaign Materials

VoteNoOnJawando.com

“One Job” Television Advertisement, May 2026

Television Advertisement Targeting Jawando and Glass, June 2026

Montgomery Perspective

Affordable Maryland PAC Archive, Page 1

Affordable Maryland PAC Archive, Page 2

Real Estate Industry Gets Ready to Clobber Jawando, May 14, 2026

Affordable Maryland PAC Releases Anti-Jawando TV Ad, May 15, 2026

MCPS Union Leaders Condemn Anti-Jawando Super PAC, May 18, 2026

Van Hollen Condemns “Lies” About Jawando, May 27, 2026